Category Archives: Staff Reads

Just a few of the titles Library Staff enjoyed over the summer:

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

In Sepetys’ debut novel, 15 year-old Lina (an artist whose work is her salvation) narrates the experiences of her family forced from their home in Lithuania and sent to a Siberian prison camp.  A frightening tale that uncovers the persecution of Stalin’s victims in the Baltic States, but also a beautifully written one with memorable, resilient characters. YA

Just Kids by Patti Smith 781.66 SMI

In Patti Smith’s memoir to her friend/lover, Robert Mapplethorpe, the poet, singer-songwriter shares her stories of New York City, Hotel Chelsea, Brentano’s and Scribner’s (bookstores) during the glory days of the sixties and seventies for artists and writers.

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

A heart-warming novel about two women who gossip about office co-workers and personal traumas via email. Lincoln (the security officer) is supposed to report them but can’t quite bring himself to do so, because he is amused by their stories and also falling in love with Beth. Read Rowell’s funny, sweet tale to find out what it’s like to love someone who doesn’t know you personally!

The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B by Sandra Gulland

This first of Gulland’s Josephine trilogy is a magical saga revealing facets of her life most readers know little about: an old woman’s prophecy foretelling her future role as queen, her marriage to the love of her life, her public betrayal and widowhood… all events before she becomes Napoleon’s queen. The story is revealed in diary entries.

Leaving Atlanta by Tayari Jones

Another fiction debut, this one takes place in Atlanta during the summer of 1979. What makes this tale unique is its narrative revealed through the eyes of three children. The disappearance of black children forms the backdrop while the reader witnesses three 5th-graders enduring everyday battles of adolescence: Tasha is coping with her parents’ separation and the sweet pain of a first love: Rodney struggles to make friends and please an abusive father: Octavia confronts popular kids at school and treads an uneasy line between protected and protective daughter. Ultimately, these individual stories reveal the loss of innocence that accompanies the passage from childhood to adulthood most of us experience.

The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared by Alice Ozma   028.9 OZM

The STREAK is a read-aloud session between a father (an elementary school librarian) and his daughter every night for 3,128 nights. No matter what happens in their personal lives…divorce, illness, separation, job loss…Alice and her father read! This is a funny, poignant, inspirational book about the rewards of reading.  Parents and all book lovers should not miss! (A great reading list is included)

Mary

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

Three Sisters, each with secrets, return home when their mom falls ill and rediscover themselves and their relationships with each other. The novel captures the “I love you but I don’t like you” dynamic of siblings. Full of quotes about books and reading, there’s also an eccentric father who quotes Shakespeare for most of life’s situations.

Left Neglected by Lisa Genova

A highly driven, multi-tasking mom/business woman is living “the life” with her hubby and three kids, until an accident forces her to start over. Though a work of fiction, Left Neglected is a fascinating peek at how the brain works. Occasionally the narrative is a bit repetitive, but never “schmaltzy.”

Prospero Lost by L. Jagi Lamplighter

What if characters in The Tempest were real and practicing magic today? In this mash-up of urban fantasy and legend, Lamplighter runs with this idea and creates a noirish, mind-boggling tale.  The story builds slowly (Miranda finds a cryptic note after father Prospero disappears and must find and warn her estranged siblings of impending danger) and is not resolved in this first of what appears to be a trilogy (the next is Prospero in Hell). Anyone looking for something well written and “different” should enjoy! 

The Nobodies Album by Carolyn Parkhurst

Part murder mystery, part family drama, Parkhurst’s latest examines the devastating and potentially, healing power of grief through the story of prolific author Octavia Frost and her rock-star son, who has been accused of murdering his girlfriend. An unusual technique of inserting excerpts from Frost’s own fiction into the story of this estranged mother and son provides a unique way of learning about each character and the defining moments of their lives.

An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin

A recognized and discernible collector of art himself, Martin takes readers on an insider’s tour of the rarified world of art galleries and museums through the machinations of an ambitious young woman who will do practically anything to get what she wants. 

The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris 

Successful attorney Tim Farnsworth suffers from a strange condition—medical? psychological? — that compels him to walk to the point of exhaustion.  Eventually, the disorder spirals out of control, and Farnsworth abandons his family, career, and life of privilege to give himself completely over to his condition. The book is a remarkable exploration of themes of identity, family, commitment, and redemption. It is not as easy a read as Ferris’s earlier work, Then We Came to the End, but an unforgettable and original commentary.

The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History

Rescuing da Vinci: Hitler and the Nazis Stole Europe’s Great Art: America and Her Allies Recovered It   both by Robert Edsel

 Edsel’s books narrate the untold story of the WWII Allied division whose mission was to find European art and treasures stolen by the Nazis. These men and women, curators and archivists, artists and art historians from 13 nations saved and preserved what they could of Europe’s treasures. Rescuing da Vinci contains photos while The Monuments Men is primarily a scholarly text. (Hundreds of thousands of artifacts are still missing !) Both books are thought-provoking and inspiring and should not be missed by those interested in this facet of World War II.

Mockingbird: Mok’ing-bûrd by Kathryn Erskine (JH ERSKINE)

Ten-year-old Caitlin Smith’s has Asperger’s syndrome and experiences life’s events differently from others. When a school shooting in her small Virginia town causes the death of her beloved brother, Devon, and two others, Caitlin faces these tragedies matter-of-factly. She is a brilliant child, yet her lack of empathy and social skills cause her father great sorrow. Moments of needed humor are provided when Caitlin does not understand the nuances of language. (Her self-consciousness is poignant).Erskine truly captures the voice of a child in this emotionally charged novel. Don’t miss it! Suitable for JH and up.

Mary

If you enjoyed award-winning memorist Mary Karr’s The Liar’s Club, then her latest book which chronicles her descent into alcoholism following the birth of her beloved child will not disappoint. Lit: A Memoir describes Karr’s emotional and physical journey to recovery with the help of AA, her spiritual mentor and a stay in a ” Mental Marriott.” The same hard edged humor and honesty are evident in Lit plus a more refined writing style…

A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cossé is a clever, literary thriller, romance and testament to the love of books. Ivan and Francesca establish The Good Novel, a unique Parisian bookstore  that stocks only masterpieces and rare gems selected by a secret committee. The shop’s huge/almost immediate success leads to “mayhem, even “near-fatal accidents.” Throughout the story the reader uncovers reasons for her own need to read..and read…and read…

Susanna Daniel’s lush, debut novel Stiltsville follows the thirty year marriage of Frances Ellerby and Dennis DuVals . The story is told from the wise, clear perspective of Frances who celebrates family life and friendships. Though these relationships shift through the years, new resolutions are made to meet the challenges of change. South Florida is a wonderful back drop to this love story.
 

De Niro’s Game by Rawi Hage is a hard-hitting story of best friends Bassam and George caught in the Lebanese Civil War. Their choices involve remaining in Beirut facing  lives of crime, or fleeing to Rome where even the “pigeons look well fed.” The plot is a page-turner, and De Niro’s writing resonates with  poetic beauty while his vivid imagery of life in a war zone and its aftermath  remains with the reader long after De Niro’s books ends.

If you enjoy cyber crime, don’t miss P. J. Tracy’s latest (5th) Monkeewrench thriller,Shoot toThrill . A bride is found floating face down in the Mississippi River near the shadier sections of town, and the Minnesota police are called to investigate. Meanwhile the Monkeewrench computer geeks, who have aided the cops in the past with their anti-crime software, are called to investigate murder videos posted on the web. Soon the gang finds a link between the murdered bride and the web photos; then, its a race against time to prevent more deaths…Fabulous story with funny, likeable characters.

mc